Family Vacation

Growing up, I was very fortunate to have parents who valued family vacations.  I remember traveling all over the country with my family.  My memories of traveling out West to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons are among my favorites.  We were recently able to take a cruise with the whole gang... all 14 of us.  The kids had a great time hanging out with the cousins, and it was a lot of fun spending time with the family.  This is my photographic montage of our trip.

This is the before and after of the first traveling day.  Hauling 4 young kids through the airport can be a bit exhausting.

The whole gang getting ready to board the boat

The kids enjoyed a breakfast with some of the Dreamworks characters.

Labadee, Haiti

MY GANG!

The result of some serious fun on this trip

 

Even this crazy clan cleans up pretty good!

Merry (very belated) Christmas

I pulled up my blog today and realized that not only do I still have a Christmas background, but I never got around to posting my Christmas pictures.  So, before I get a new background, let me share this year's holiday photos.

The annual Christmas Eve gift of matching Christmas PJ's... a hit as usual.

The kids had a great time opening gifts and giving their gifts to each other.  This year, Matu and Yeabi seemed to understand what was going on and looked forward to all the celebrations!

....and this is what happens after a very early morning of opening presents and playing with all the new gifts!

Shopping with a difference

I have wanted to post for quite some time about the myriad of fundraisers out there.  There are a whole lot of families in the process of adopting, and this is not a cheap process.  Many of them have come up with creative ways to earn some money towards their adoptions.

As we come so close to Christmas, I wonder how many of us have those "impossible to buy for" people.  This year, I was able to give some gifts that give to more than just one. Reece's Rainbow sells Angel Tree Dollars, where people can pick a child who gets their donation.  They also have super cute calendars (free download).  I've also purchased several gifts from adopting families.

This is one of my favorites, and I hope you'll go visit their blog to check it out.

This family is adopting Caleb from China.

Oh, my goodness, isn't he sweet?

Juli makes all kinds of homemade crafts.  I bought a lanyard and several key fobs (sorry, I think I depleted her stock), and they are awesome!  They were a big hit with my family.  She still has several items left, and perhaps you are looking for something.  Just be warned, I am buying some more, so you'd better hurry!  Here is just a small sampling:


Please head over to Adding Branches to see her whole selection.  She is amazing.

Jewelery Bags (several different designs... I love these and will be getting Alyssa and myself one for our next vacation.) $20

 

  

Lanyards (I have the one on the far right, and I love it... great for work or for the kids) $10

 

  

Pacifier holders (would have loved this when Alyssa was little, might have saved a lot of "10 second rules") $5 

Table Runners (double sided) $20

Ornaments (super cute, I'll be getting some of these too) $5

So, head over HERE to check out more options. You'll be glad you did.  Nothing quite like feeling good about the things that you buy.

Over the Top!

Well, the girls did it! They earned $172.75 at their bake sale yesterday. Alyssa had 5 friends who helped her out with baking and selling, and what a great time they all had. They were all so excited to earn money for Jesse. And, it's official... Jesse has met (and exceeded) his $1,000 angel tree goal. I'm so glad to be a part of this.

Way to go, Girls! You've made us proud!

Jesse... the boy who inspired these 9 and 10 year old girls to look beyond themselves this holiday season. Go visit www.reecesrainbow.org/angeltree2011 to learn more.

Alyssa's Heart

As parents, we are constantly trying to instill in our children a sense of compassion and love for others. Our family is especially unique in that our children have been inundated with that from the very beginning. This holiday season Alyssa showed what an amazing little girl she is. We are involved with an organization called Reeces Rainbow which helps promote adoption of children with disabilities from around the world. She decided that she wanted to raise money for a little guy in Russia named Jesse with Down Syndrome who is waiting to find a family. She started by doing chores around the house and then decided to do a bake sale at her school to help raise money for Jesse.

This is the video that she and Mike made to show at school.

Baking Queen

She made chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cupcakes, buckeyes, chocolate sprinkled pretzels, and oreo balls. She also recruited several of her friends to help out. Oh, she makes her mama proud. The bake sale is this afternoon, so I'll be sure to post more pictures as well as how much she raised.

What we've been up to

Yes, we are still alive and well. It turns out that having 4 kids and a full time job takes up a whole lot of time. It just doesn't leave much time for the fun stuff like blogging or having a social life. Keeping track of everyone's schedule is a full time job in itself. We managed to only forget 1 parent teacher conference this year, so we're off to a decent start.

Our crazy life remains just as crazy as it's always been, but the major bumps in the post-adoption road do seem to be smoothing out a bit. Yes, adopting an older child is much, much, much more difficult than I had planned for (perhaps, that is the down side of being a perpetual optimist). The good news is that wee do seem to be settling into our own groove.

So... here's what's been happening around our place these last few months.


BIRTHDAYS

Fall is a busy birthday time for us. We have 3 birthdays within about 5 weeks of each other. Alyssa turned 9, Yeabi turned 6, and Matu turned 4. Since we've been watching our finances, I made the birthday cakes this year. Alyssa went with Littlest Pet Shop and Yeabi went with Star Wars, and Matu got spider man cupcakes from the grocery store. Not too bad for my first shot at homemade cakes.

SCHOOL

Yeabi is attending all day kindergarten at the local independent school with his sister. Our public school only offers a half day option, and we really felt like Yeabi needed more. Needless to say, he is doing amazing! He is reading and writing well beyond the kindergarten level, and he seems to be a bit of a math whiz as well. Alyssa is making us proud in the fourth grade. We have definitely hit the girl drama this year, so that has been an education for us all.


Braeden and Matu get to go to school together at our local public school. Braeden is attending half day kindergarten and is making slow but steady strides. Of course, it's hard to see him so far behind his peers, but we have to constantly remind ourselves to enjoy his small successes as they come. Matu is in the preschool and seems to be having fun.



SOCCER

This fall was soccer crazy season. We had 3 of the 4 kids playing in 3 different leagues. Next fall, it will be all 4 playing... we must be a bit crazy!

Alyssa is playing select soccer this year and has absolutely fallen in love with soccer. She has gained such confidence, and it is so much fun to watch her.

Yeabi played in our community rec league, and he also had a great time. Unfortunately, he quickly learned that when you're fast, playing long ball soccer results in many goals. His mean parents make him play left footed to compensate.


Braeden played TOPS soccer, which is a league for children and adults with special needs. What an amazing experience! Once he figured it out, he had so much fun.



RUNNING

Mike has become quite the runner this year. In May, he did the Flying Pig 10K.

In October, he did his first half-marathon at the Disney Wine and Dine half-marathon. It was a great trip (one we did without kids). He had a great time and finished with a quite respectable time of 2:15. By the way, that's him AFTER the race. Afterwards, we walked through EPCOT enjoying champagne and international foods galore.
Alyssa, Mike and I all did our local 5 Mile Turkey Trot. Alyssa and I ran together, and I am pleased to say that I finished upright and did not require a visit to the local ER. As it was my first race in almost 15 years, I am glad that I finished.

Of course, we've also enjoyed our favorite fall activities:

The Haunted Hayride




Trick or Treating

The Annual Christmas Parade in our town

All in all, it's been a crazy but wonderful several months. I am so excited for this upcoming Advent and Christmas season. The tree is up, we are decorating today, and we have my family's Christmas celebration this weekend. Let the fun begin!